becoming a vegetarian

im thinking of becoming a vegetarian and i was wondering if fellow vegetarians and vegans can tell me about how it changes your life style and going out to eat
i have no family support no one in my family believes in not eating meat so this change is going to be hard to me but i really feel this is a life change i want to make so im just looking for a some advice and support

I don't think it is that difficult at all, even with out family support. I am not a vegetarian any more, but I was for a few years, and I also tried being vegan for a few months. I would definitely say try to start out being a vegetarian, because it can be extremely difficult to go vegan, especially if you are in a household that doesn't support it.

Reading labels is important, because a lot of times meat products are stuck in products you wouldn't expect.

And to warm your family up to the idea you could try offering to cook a vegetarian meal for them once a week. Something like vegetable lasagna won't be as scary for meat eaters as trying to convince them to try tofu or something (even though tofu is delicious!). There are tons of vegetarian recipes online.

If all else fails just start small, like cutting out red meat or something.

Good luck!

i was veggie for 10 years and vegan for 1 until i was diagnosed with crohn's and severe anemia. I felt so much healthier (esp as vegan!) it kept me away from fast food, most sweets, and made me much more in tune with what i was putting in my body. As for support, my brother was veggie for 2 years before becoming vegan in 2007 so i had a lot of support from him. as for the rest of my family and friends, it was always a struggle to explain each and every time why and how and when and...etc. you just have to stay strong and stick to your guns! good luck!

The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet Cookbook :
The Fast, No-Hunger Weightloss Cookbook for Vegetarians
by Rose Elliot

Check this out for vegetarian low carb eating

I was vegetarian from when I was 13 until when I was 24. And I recently switched back to vegetarian, a few weeks ago.

You have to be careful about how you do it. I gained a lot of weight while eating vegetarian the first time. Like you, my family didn't really know anything about it. This meant I ate what they were eating without the meat- spaghetti with sauce only, etc. When I went out to eat, I would order the "vegetarian option"- grilled cheese and fries. Um, not so healthy. It is very easy to consume a lot of fat and not a lot of protein on a vegetarian diet.

Natural foods other than meat that are high in protein can also be high in fat- nuts, cheese, yogurt. Of course, you can get low fat versions, but I don't... that's a different story. Since I switched my diet this time, I'm still counting calories and I noticed my fat percentage has gone up quite a bit, while my protein has gone down. Not sure it matters... I'm still losing weight just fine.

I like it. Feels good and I feel like I'm doing the best thing for myself, health wise and morally. It's forcing me to eat more variety and completely avoid fast food. Both positive changes.